Pumpkin Spice Granola

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I didn’t set out to develop a pumpkin spice granola recipe.  I mean, why reinvent the wheel?  There’s certainly no shortage of recipes out there in cyberspace.  But I wasn’t sure the recipes I looked at would meet my desired objectives: I wanted sweet, buttery granola with clusters that had both crunch and chew.  And, most importantly, the granola needed to taste like mini pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies.

So those of you looking for a healthy snack or breakfast are probably going to have to look elsewhere.  But if you’re looking for an indulgent fall treat then you’re in the right place.

I ended up using my cranberry coconut nut granola as a starting point.  But instead of the cranberries and coconut I added pumpkin puree and the usual holiday spice suspects: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. The spices are assertive but not overpowering: the butter and honey flavors also shine through.

I used almonds because that’s what I had on hand, but pecans would also be great.  And I like my pumpkin spice granola free from dried fruits, but dried cranberries should would work well here, and provide a little burst of color.

And since we’re going to go the all-butter, super indulgent route, might I suggest taking it even one step further?  Layer the granola with some honey-flavored full fat Greek yogurt (p.s., this stuff is unreal good) and you’ll have the best yogurt parfait out there.

Pumpkin Spice Granola

Ingredients:

* 6 Tablespoons butter, divided
* 2-1/2 cups gluten-free oats
* 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
* 1/3 cup honey
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup chopped almonds or pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly oil a large, rimmed baking sheet or line with a Silpat mat.

Melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the oats and stir to coat. Cook, stirring, until the oats have darkened a shade or two. Pour oats into a large bowl. Add the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt.

In the same saucepan, combine the remaining butter, pumpkin puree, honey, and brown sugar and bring to a boil. Stir in the vanilla and remove from heat. Pour mixture over the oats and stir to combine. Mix in the almonds and then spread onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden and the nuts are toasted. Remove from oven and let cool. Break up any large chunks and store in an airtight container for up to one week.

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